Queen of Swords/At a Glance

Basic Information

• Full Name: Queen of Swords
• Premiere Date: October 7, 2000
• Finale Date: June 2, 2001
• Network: First-run syndication

Creation

In August 2000, writer Linda S. Lukens sought a preliminary injunction to block the premiere of Queen of Swords unless she were given a "created by" credit, saying she had submitted a script of that name and a similar series treatment but set in France, to ABC two decades earlier, and that both she and the show's executive producer, David Abramowitz, were both represented by the Broder/Kurland Agency, which was also named in the suit. In October 2000, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered a halt to further broadcasts of the show unless Lukens received that credit. She was credited on American broadcasts at the end of each episode after episode 2. Lukens is not credited on the official Japanese or French DVDs.

International Viewings

French titlecard

Italian titlecard

Known as:

• France: Tessa, à la pointe de l'épée
• Italy: La regina di spade
• Finland: Miekan lumo
• Greecs: Vasilissa tou xifous, I
• Hungary: A Kardok királynöje
• Portugal: Reinha de Espadas
• Spain: Reina de Espadas

Series Overview

• Filmed at Texas Hollywood, Almeria, Spain using Super 16mm film which is a slightly smaller widescreen aspect ratio to 16:9.

• As in the theme song "Behind The Mask" all seven main characters have secrets to hide that are explored over the 22 episodes when their past lives return to haunt them.

• Tessie Santiago and Paulina Gálvez appeared in all 22 episodes.

• The opening titles includes clips fron the first seven production episodes and the last verse of the song "Behind the mask".

• Depending on local editing, some territories retain more profanities and more violence. The use of the word bastard is uttered by all the main character in various episodes. In Vengeance (Ep4), the use twice by Ramon and once by Dr Helm and Latham is deleted by local editing. The Queens use to Grisham and Dr Helm's use in the episode Betrayed (Ep22) is deleted in some versions. The Serpents death scene (Ep10) is more drawn out, and in (Ep18), The Pretender, when Rey breaks his son's arm the sound of cracking bone is more pronounced in some versions..

• Anthony De Longis trained Tessie Santiago in the use of the sword and whip in preproduction and was the swordmaster/stunt coordinator on the first six production episodes (101-107, not 105). He also played Maestro Torres, Tessa Alvarado' fencing teacher in Destiny (Ep1) and the sadistic Krane in the episode The Hanged Man (Ep16).

Music

• Music composed by Phillip Stanger
• Music editor Kevin Banks
• Additional music John Herberman
• Theme from Queen of Swords performed by Jose Feliciano
  • Composed by Spencer Proffer and Steve Plunkett (BMI)

• Only the last verse is featured in the opening titles. The full unpublished English version is available on youtube[[1]] sung by Jose Feliciano with Spencer Proffer and Steve Plunkett

Television

• Canadian/Spanish/United Kingdom co-production
• Filmed in Widescreen 16/9 but generally broadcast in a cropped pan and scan 4/3.
• Filmed at The Texas Hollywood Studios (now called Fort Bravo), Tabernas, Almeria, Spain, which then as now, is a tourist attraction following it use in spaghetti westerns. The tourists were able to watch the show being filmed.
• Not shown in the United Kingdom until September 2008.

Actors

American actors appearing in the series:

• Tessie Santiago, David Carradine, Bo Derek, Elizabeth Gracen, Anthony De Longis (also swordsmaster and stunt co-ordinator).

British actors appearing in the series:

• Valentine Pelka, Peter Wingfield, Simon MacCorkindale (also Co-Executive producer), Burt Kwouk, Grant Russell, Ed Stoppard, Michael Culkin, Richard Clifford, Amber Batty, Yasmin Bannerman, Steve Emerson (also dialogue coach), Dan Fredenburgh, Freddy Douglas, Darren Tighe, Stephen Billington, James Innes-Smith, Edward Hughes, Alex Hassell, Neil Newborn, Oliver Haden, Darrell D'Silva

Canadian actors appearing in the series:

• Anthony Lemke

Spanish actors appearing in the series:

• Paulina Gálvez, Elsa Pataky, Tacho González, Jose Sancho, Jorge Montesi (also directed two episodes), Richard Cruz (was also horse stunt co-ordinator for the series), The Extras (soldiers, villagers, dancers)

Other:

• Ralf Moeller (German), Sung Hi Lee (S.Korean), Daisy Fuentes (Cuban), Cyriele Clair (French), Cristian de la Fuente (Chilean)

Horses

The Queens Horse is called Chico (Ep18), his real name, and he had stunt doubles Champion and Escandalo for different scenes and his bridle and breastplate was identical to Toronado, Zorro's horse in the Alain Delon film Zorro (1975) and the tv series Zorro (1990). The film and both tv series were filmed in Spain.[2].

Captain Grishams white horse was Montero and was in the film Gladiator ridden by Russell Crowe.

Awards and Accolades

• Tessie Santiago (2001): ALMA (American Latino Media Arts Awards) nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a syndicated drama series for Queen of Swords. Lost to Gina Torres in Cleopatra 2525.